Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 430 Filed 11/10/21 Page 1 of S
Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 430 Filed 11/10/21 Page 1 of S
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Southern District of New York
BY EMAIL USDC SDNY
DOCUMENT
ELECTRONICALLY FILED
DOC 0:
DATE FILED:11 ill /21
The Honorable Alison J. Nathan
United States District Court
Southern District of New York
United States Courthouse
40 Foley Square
New York, New York 10007
Re: The Silvio!. Mono Building
One Saint Andrew's Plana
New York, New York /0007
November 10, 2021
The parties are ORDERED to submit the lists
referenced in this letter on or before November 14,
2021, in accordance with Dkt. No. 427. The parties
may continue submitting proposed redactions in
accordance with the procedures this Court has
previously set. SO ORDERED.
United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, 20 Cr. 330 (MN) 11/11/21
Dear Judge Nathan:
At the November 1, 2021 pretrial conference, the Court directed the parties to file a joint
letter regarding protections for witness identities at trial. In particular, the Court directed the
parties to: (1) provide nomenclature for witnesses whose identities should be protected, (2) propose
procedures for voir dire related to witness identities, (3) submit a proposed instruction to the jury
regarding witnesses testifying under pseudonyms or under their first name only, and (4) address
the logistics of offering sealed or redacted exhibits containing personal identifying information.
Below are the positions of the parties regarding these logistical considerations. Because this letter
contains identifying information relating to victims, the Government respectfully requests that the
Court accept the Government's proposed redactions to this letter.
Government position:
NomenclatureI.
With respect to nomenclature for witnesses whose identities should be protected at trial,
the Government respectfully submits the following chart, which provides the true names of
witnesses and the proposed nomenclature for those witnesses at trial.
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The Government submits that this nomenclature can be used when trial begins on
November 29, 2021, but that the parties should be directed to continue referencing victims and
witnesses on the public record according to the nomenclature in the Superseding Indictment. The
Government further requests that the defense be directed to redact the true names of the witnesses
in this chart from all exhibits to filings, and to avoid using the true names of victims in filings with
the Court. Using the true names of victims delays public filings and creates otherwise unnecessary
redaction projects that waste the Government and the Court's time. Moreover, using victim names
in filings increases the risk that victim identities may become public, due to redaction errors or
other issues.
II. Voir Dire
Regarding voir dire, the Government proposes that prospective jurors be handed a sheet
with a list of names and places that may come up at trial. That sheet, which would be filed under
seal. would contain the true names of witnesses. The sheet would not be read aloud; instead, the
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Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 439 Filed 11/10/21 Page 3 of S
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Government requests that the Court direct prospective jurors to read the sheet and to raise a hand
if they are familiar with the witnesses or locations. Examination of jurors on this subject would
then be conducted at sidebar, with the transcript redacted to remove witness identifying
information.
III. Limiting Instruction
The Government requests that the Court give the jury an instruction that is similar to the
instruction Judge Garaufis gave the jury in United States v. Raniere, 18 Cr. 204 (E.D.N.Y.). In
that case, Judge Garaufis instructed the jury:
You may have noticed during yesterday's testimony that the witness used first
names of certain individuals. That is because the names of certain alleged victims
are being withheld from the public and the press to protect the privacy of those
individuals. I have therefore instructed the parties to refer to those individuals by
their first names only; however, those full names are known to the Government, the
defendant, and to the Court.
An excerpt of the relevant transcript is enclosed as Exhibit A. Here, the Government proposes that
the Court instruct the jury:
At this trial, certain witnesses will be testifying under their first name only. Other
witnesses will be testifying under pseudonyms — that is, under different names.
That is because the names of certain alleged victims and related witnesses are being
withheld from the public and the press to protect the privacy of those individuals. I
have therefore instructed the parties to refer to those individuals by their first names
only, or in some instances, by using a pseudonym. However, the full names of the
witnesses are known to the Government, the defendant, and to the Court.
The Government respectfully submits that the proposed instruction addresses any potential
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prejudice to the defendant, as the instruction makes clear to the jury that the identities of the
witnesses are being protected from the public and press only, and that the true names of the
witnesses are known to the Government, the Court, and the defendant.
IV. Sealed and Redacted Exhibits
The Government anticipates offering certain exhibits entirely under seal or with redactions
to protect the personal identifying information of witnesses and third parties. With respect to
logistics, the Government would propose submitting redacted versions of exhibits — along with an
index noting which of the Government exhibits will be offered under seal — no later than November
29, 2021. To the extent the defense takes issue with the sealing requests or the proposed redactions,
the Court may rule on those exhibits on case-by-case basis during the trial.
The Government has considered how best to publish sealed exhibits to the jury while
protecting the identities of witnesses and the privacy of third parties. On that score, the
Government is mindful that exhibits published in electronic format on screens in the courtroom
may be seen by the public, since the screens at counsel table — and potentially the jury box— are
visible to the public from certain angles. For this reason, the Government requests permission to
provide jurors with individual binders containing sealed exhibits. The Government expects that
jurors will follow the Court's instruction to only view items in the binder when the Court instructs
jurors to do so.
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Defense position:
In light of the Court's ruling on the government's motion in limine, the defense will accept
the government's proposed nomenclature for the witnesses referenced above. The defense has no
objection to the procedures proposed by the government for voir dire and for sealing and redacting
exhibits on the understanding that the defense will have the opportunity to object to particular
sealing and redaction requests. The defense also proposes the following limiting instruction in
place of the government's proposed instruction:
This case has received, and will continue to receive, significant attention in the
media. To minimize the inconvenience and potential harassment of any witness, the
Court has permitted witnesses, if they choose, to be referred to by either their first
name or a pseudonym. However, the full names of the witnesses are known to the
Government, the defendant, and to the Court, and were shown to you during jury
selection. This process should not bear in any way on your evaluation of the
evidence in this case.
Respectfully submitted,
DAMIAN WILLIAMS
United States Attorney
By: s/
Assistant United States Attorneys
Southern District of New York
Cc: Defense Counsel (By email)
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Cassell2EOecf0O33EGVIIIN Oltatneatt43261 Mee'M.1120221 Fl 101(72
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25 Proceedings 245
the aspects of the motion we filed, and I think it's a lot for
the Court to have to deal with, quite frankly, and I know the
Court is going to try and do the best it can with the
situation, but I don't think it's tenable and -- I don't ask
for mistrials easily, I have probably asked for four in my
entire career, I don't see a way out of this problem.
(Pause. )
THE COURT: All right, I'm going to deny the
defendant's motion for a mistrial. Any issues caused by a
witness referring to certain individuals by their first name
only and by asking the Government if they may use last names
of certain other individuals can be cured by a jury
instruction, which I will give. Going forward, the Government
shall provide the defendant and each witness, including the
current witness, with a list of the individuals whose identity
should be protected from the public and the press, that way
each witness can refer to the list rather than asking the
Government whether a particular individual 's identity is
protected.
You don't have a proposed jury instruction.
MS. PENZA: Not yet, Your Honor.
THE COURT: I have one.
To the jurors: You may have noticed during
yesterday's testimony that the witness used first names of
certain individuals. That is because the names of certain
Denise Parisi . RPR . CRR
Official Court Reporter
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alleged victims are being withheld from the public and the
press to protect the privacy of those individuals. I have
therefore instructed the parties to refer to those individuals
by their first names only; however, those full names are known
to the Government, the defendant, and to the Court.
You may also have noticed that the witness was
asking the Government whether she should say the last names of
certain individuals. Going forward, the witnesses will
receive a list of the individuals whose last names are to be
protected to which they may refer while testifying.
Anything else you want me to put in there?
MS. PENZA: Not from the Government Your Honor.
THE COURT: You object?
MR. AGNIFILO: I do, Judge.
THE COURT: Your objection is noted.
Also, I'm going to direct that the parties shall not
make any speaking objections. If the basis for an objection
is not apparent, the parties may request a sidebar.
MR. AGNIFILO: Very good. Thank you, Judge.
THE COURT: Okay, what else?
MS. PENZA: Nothing else from the Government, but we
would just ask for five minutes to make sure that the list is
correct for the current witness.
THE COURT: All right, we'll take a five-minute
break.
Denise Parisi . RPR . CRR
Official Court Reporter
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[Image 1] The image shows a document that appears to be a legal or official letter. The document is titled "United States of America" and is addressed to "The Honorable Robert Mueller." The text of the document is not fully visible, but it seems to be related to a legal matter or an official communication. The document includes a date and a reference number at the top. The visible text includes a salutation
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